Arts of Islam: from Caliphs to Sultans (650-1500 AD) ARH 363/MES 342/ISL 373

Stephennie Mulder Office: DFA 2.516 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: Wed 3-4

Class Meeting Time: MWF 2-3 Class Location: DFA 2.204

This course will survey Islamic visual culture from its beginnings in the seventh century A.D. up to the sixteenth century. Our object is to investigate the temporal, spatial, and experiential aspects of Islamic architecture (including forms as varied as mosques, shrines, palaces, schools, and warehouses) - as well as the largely secular and often strongly figural tradition of Islamic painting, sculpture, ceramic, metal and glass objects. In particular, we will pay attention to how buildings and artistic objects were used: in which contexts, and by whom. We will explore the productive tension between the rich and diverse regionalism of and its simultaneous universal identity. Has Islam, as one of the world’s great religions, given a special character to its art? Or is the term “Islamic” perhaps a misnomer to describe an artistic tradition that spans 1,400 years and every continent? We will also ask how certain external factors - for example accidents of preservation (i.e. more religious monuments survive than secular ones), or the many ways non-Muslims have perceived Islam – produced certain narratives about its artistic culture, both scholarly and popular.

By the end of this course, students will be 1) familiar with the major events of Islamic history, 2) able to link these events with specific artistic achievements, 3) work collaboratively to formulate written responses to scholarly articles, reach consensus on arguments, and present them to the class, and 4) know how to think critically about certain themes or ideas important for understanding Islamic artistic culture. Prerequisites: Art History and Visual Studies Majors: ARH 302 and 304; for others, ARH 301, 302, or 303 is advisable, but not required. This course may be used to fulfil the visual and performing arts component of the university core curriculum and addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, teamwork, and social responsibility.

Class Requirements

Attendance & Participation 30% (Participation grade includes submission of weekly reading summaries and two fun, pass/fail assignments) Mid-term 20% Research Project 30% Final Exam 20%

Grading Scale

93-100 = A (4.00) 80-82 = B- (2.67) 67-69 = D+(1.33) 90-92 = A- (3.67) 77-79 = C+(2.33) 63-66 = D (1.00) 87-89 = B+(3.33) 73-76 = C (2.00) 60-62 = D- (.67) 83-86 = B (3.00) 70-72 = C- (1.67) 0-59 = F (0.00)

IMPORTANT POLICIES Attendance is mandatory. You are allowed three unexcused absences. Upon your fourth absence, your final grade will be lowered by one letter, and each absence after that will continue to lower your grade by one letter. An “excused absence” constitutes a medical or family emergency, for which you must provide a doctor’s note or other suitable evidence. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet each class meeting. *No late assignments* will be accepted and there will be *no* makeup exams unless a valid medical/family reason can be demonstrated. A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete an assignment within a reasonable time after the absence.

1 Textbooks One book is required and two are optional; all are available at the University Co-op. 2246 Guadalupe St., Tel. 512.476.7211

Islamic Art and Architecture by Robert Hillenbrand (Optional) The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World by Francis Robinson (ed.) (Optional) Islamic Art in Context by Robert Irwin, (not at Co-op but sometimes available used online)

Online Readings (Canvas) In addition to readings from Hillenbrand and Robinson, outside articles will be assigned, usually as the topic for discussion, which will take place on Fridays. These will be available to you on Canvas.

Friday Reading Summaries and Assignments Each Friday, you are required to hand in BRIEF (one short paragraph, 3-5 sentences) summaries of each of the Friday discussion articles (NOTE: you should not summarize the M-W textbook readings). These assignments will be graded on a completed/not completed basis only: however, your regular completion of them will be recorded and is part of your participation grade. In addition, you must hand in two pass/fail creative (and fun!) assignments. Your completion of these discussion summaries and the two pass/fail assignments are part of your participation grade, but your regular participation in class is also a critical factor. I encourage active discussion in my classroom, because I believe a different, active kind of learning happens when we have a dialogue (if you find this challenging, let me know and we’ll work something out).

Accommodations: If you need accommodations for exceptional needs please notify me at the beginning of the semester by obtaining a letter from the Services for Students with Disabilities Office. You may contact the SSD Office at 471-6259 or 471-4641 TTY.

Academic Integrity: Students should maintain a high standard of individual honor in their scholarly work. Cheating and plagiarism are subject to disciplinary penalties, including failure of the course and/or dismissal from the University. I have been teaching for a long time and have acquired superpowers which give me a preternatural ability to tell when you are cheating. Really. And please note that University standards for academic integrity apply to materials downloaded from the Internet in addition to books, articles, and other students’ work. Bottom line? Your work should be your own, if it is not, it should be cited appropriately. If you are uncertain about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please do not hesitate to contact me; I am happy to help clarify how works should be cited in order to conform to these standards.

Two last notes: 1. Laptops and cellphones are not allowed in my classroom unless accommodations are needed. Multiple studies have shown that most students learn better and retain information longer if they take notes by hand. The distraction posed by laptops and other electronic devices for you and for students seated next to or behind you is detrimental to the learning environment. If you have any reason for which a laptop is required, please let me know, I am happy to make accommodations. Otherwise, please leave all your devices at home.

2. Please email me as often as you would like, and I will answer as soon as I possibly can, although I do not usually answer emails on evenings and weekends. When you email, please observe professional etiquette. This means at a minimum that you have a proper salutation (“Dear Professor/Dr./Stephennie [as you like]) and sign-off (Sincerely, Thank You, Best Wishes, Happy Birthday, or something equivalently respectful before signing your name), and write with correct English grammar and spelling (for example (ahem), free of texting abbreviations). Someday when you are a working professional, you will thank me for this.

2 SCHEDULE

Week 1 What’s “Islamic” about Islamic Art?

• Wednesday August 29 Introductory Lecture In class: watch Why (Art) History?

• Friday August 31 * Why Doctors and Cops are Taking Art Observations Classes * Samir Rahim, “What this Medieval Wine Jug Can Tell Us About Islam” Review of Shahab Ahmed’s book What is Islam? *Summarize: Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, “The Mirage of Islamic Art: Reflections on the Study of an Unwieldy Field,” read ONLY pp. 1-19.

Week 2 Late Antiquity: the Sourcebook for Islamic Art?

• Monday Sept 3: NO CLASS – LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

• Wednesday Sept 5: Byzantium *Irwin, Robert. Islamic Art in Context: The Historical Background.

• Friday Sept 7: The Sassanians *No Author, Sassanid Empire (ca. 2 pp) *Edith Porada, The Art of the Sassanians (ca. 10 pp.)

Week 3 “A Mosque…Without Equal and a Wonder to the World” Umayyad Religious Architecture

• Monday Sept 10: The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem *Robinson, “The Rise of Islam in the World”, pp. 2-22 *Please take a virtual tour of the Dome of the Rock: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200901/a.virtual.walking.tour.al-haram.al-sharif.htm

• Wednesday Sept 12: The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus *Hillenbrand, Islamic Art and Architecture, pp. 11-28 *Klaus Brisch, “Observations on the Iconography of the Mosaics in the Great Mosque at Damascus”

• Friday Sept 14: Discussion – Propagandistic Uses of Art and Architecture *Nasser Rabbat, The Meaning of the Umayyad Dome of the Rock, 10 pp.

3 Week 4 Palaces in the Desert Umayyad Secular Architecture

• Monday Sept 17: Qasr al-Hair al-Sharqi/al-Gharbi and Mshatta *Robinson, pp. 13-22 *Hillenbrand, pp. 28-37

• Wednesday Sept 19: Khirbet al-Mafjar and Qusayr ‘Amra *Irwin, “Palace Life” pp. 103-106, “Textiles and Weaving” pp. 156-65 *Doris Behrens-Abouseif, The Lion-Gazelle Mosaic at Khirbat al-Mafjar, 7 pp. *Oleg Grabar, “The Painting of the Six Kings at Qusayr Amra”, 1954 (2 pp)

• Friday Sept 21: Discussion – Figural Representation in Islamic Art *Terry Allen, Aniconism and Figural Representation in Islamic Art”, 1988 (20 pp) Recent Controversies: Danish Cartoons, Yale University Press, & South Park Episode 200 * Patricia Cohen, “Yale Press Bans Images of Muhammad in New Book” NY Times, August 12, 2009 * Sheila Blair, Statement to the H-Islamart Listserve, August 17, 2009 (1 page). *'South Park' Mohammed Issue Sparks Debate Among Muslims, CNN This Just In, April 22, 2010. *Calligraphy assignment handed out

Week 5 When Baghdad Ruled the Islamic World: The ‘Abbasid Period

• Monday Sept 24: Building the City of Peace: al-Mansur’s Round City at Baghdad *Robinson, pp. 22-25, 28-29 (skip pp. 26-27…we’ll come back to them) *Hillenbrand, pp. 38-43 *Christopher Beckwith, “The Plan of the City of Peace” 1984 (8 pp)

• Wednesday Sept 26: Samarra - A Lost Princely Capital of Iraq *Hillenbrand, 43-50 *Irwin, “Abbasid Palaces: Baghdad and Samarra”, pp. 106-111 *D. Fairchild Ruggles, “Abbasid Gardens and Views,” pp. 94-100.

• Friday Sept 28: Discussion – The Image of the Word? – Calligraphy in Islamic Art *Robinson, “Umayyad and Abbasid Calligraphy and Arts” pp. 262-3 and “Ibn al-Bawwab”, p. 268 *Irwin, “A Literary Art” 167-181 *Word As Image: Contextualizing “: 1984-2013″ with French-Tunisian Street Artist eL Seed *Tunisian artist graffitis , fights intolerance

*Calligraphy Assignment due

Week 6 An Umayyad Refuge in the West: al-Andalus or Islamic Spain

• Monday Oct 1: The Great Mosque of Cordoba *Robinson, pp. 26-7 *Hillenbrand, pp. 167-181

4 • Wednesday Oct 3: Madinat al-Zahra’ *D. Fairchild Ruggles, The Mirador in Abbasid and Hispano-Umayyad Garden Typology, 9 pp.

• Friday Oct 5: Discussion – Astrology, Jewels and Magic * Obituary for Shehab Ahmed *Irwin, “Astronomy and Astrology”, “Science and Magic” and “Talismans, Monsters and Mirrors” pp. 201-211 *Avinoam Shalem, Jewels and Journeys: The Case of the Medieval Gemstone Called al-Yatima, 1997 (11 pp)

Week 7 Mosques of ‘Abbasid North Africa Islamic Ceramics

• Monday Oct 8: Western Abbasid Influence: The Mosques of and Ibn Tulun, Islamic Ceramics *Hillenbrand, pp. 50-58 *Irwin, “Samarra and the Provincial Dynasties” pp. 111-112 *Creswell, K.A.C. A Short Account of Early Muslim Architecture pp. 315-330.

• Wednesday Oct 10: Themes in Palace Ornament: Textiles and Fabrics *Lisa Golombek, “The Draped Universe of Islam” 1988 (12 pp)

• Friday Oct 12: REVIEW FOR MIDTERM *Sign up for appointment to meet with me to discuss a paper topic*

Week 8 The Breakdown of the Caliphate Iran and Central Asia or “Mawarannahr –Beyond the River”

• Monday Oct 15: MIDTERM EXAM

• Wednesday Oct 17: Tombs for Princes: Samanid Iran and Central Asia *Irwin, “Samanid, Ghaznavid, and Seljuk Dynasties” pp. 43-4 *Thomas Leisten, Between Orthodoxy & Exegesis: Some Aspects of Attitudes in the Sharia toward Funerary Architecture, (8 pp)

• Friday Oct 19: Guest – Laura Schwartz on Research Paper Resources.

Week 9 The Rule of the Mahdi A Shi’i Counter-Caliphate at , “The Victorious”

• Monday, Oct 22: “Writing Signs” - Fatimid Religious Art *Geometry Assignment handed out *Robinson, pp. 29-36 *Hillenbrand, pp. 61-7; 72-8

• Wednesday, Oct 24: Seated Caliphs, Frozen Light – Fatimid Secular Art *Hillenbrand, pp. 67-72; 79-85 *Doris Behrens-Abouseif, The Facade of the Aqmar Mosque in the Context of Fatimid Ceremonial, 1992 (9 pp)

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• Friday, Oct 26: Discussion - The Role of Geometry in Islamic Art *Oleg Grabar, “The Intermediary of Geometry” The Mediation of Ornament pp. 119-154

Week 10 The Coming of the Turks The Seljuks and the “Revival” of Sunnism

• Monday, Oct 29: The Friday Mosque of Isfahan: The Four-Iwan Plan *Robinson, pp. 37-42 *Hillenbrand, pp. 86-110 *Geometry Assignment due

• Wednesday, Oct 31: The Madrasa and the Khanqa: Sufism, Orthodoxy, and the ‘Ulama’ *Robinson, pp. 219-239 *Irwin, “The Mosque and the Madrasa,” pp. 66-75

• Friday Nov 2: Discussion – The Muqarnas *Eva Baer, “Stalactites or Muqarnas” 1998, pp. 50-61 (2 pp. text) *Yasser Tabbaa, The Muqarnas Dome: Its Origins and Meaning, 1985 (12 pp).

Week 11 A Taste for Stone Rum Seljuks, Zengids, and Ayyubids in Syria and Anatolia ca. 1100-1300

• Monday Nov 5: The Seljuks of Rum *Hillenbrand, pp. 111-123 *Research Paper Outline Due

• Wednesday Nov 7: Holding High the Banner of Faith: Zengids and Ayyubids *Robinson, 42-5, 186-197 *R. Stephen Humphries, Women as Patrons of Religious Architecture in Ayyubid Damascus 1994 (14 pp)

• Friday Nov 9: TBD

Week 12 Slave Soldiers The Mamluk Period

• Monday Nov 12: The Bahri Mamluks 1260-1389 *Hillenbrand, pp. 138-152 *Karl Stowasser, Manners and Customs at the Mamluk Court, 1984 (pp. 1-4)

• Wednesday Nov 14: The Burji (Circassian) Mamluks 1389-1517 *Hillenbrand, pp. 152-166 *Karl Stowasser, Manners and Customs at the Mamluk Court, 1984 (pp. 4-8)

• Friday Nov 16: Discussion: *Howyda al-Harithy, The Complex of Sultan Hasan in Cairo: Reading Between the Lines (10 pp)

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Week 13 “The Ornament of the World” The Medieval Maghreb and al-Andalus

• Monday Nov 19: The Alhambra: a Medieval Garden Palace in Spain *Hillenbrand, pp. 182-195 *Robinson, p. 57 *Research Paper Due Please take a virtual walking tour of the Alhambra: http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200604/alhambra/default.htm

• Wednesday Nov 21: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, no class

• Friday Nov 23: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, no class

Week 14 In the Wake of Chingiz Khan The Ilkhanids and Timurids in Central Asia

• Monday Nov 26: “Barbarians” Civilized - The Mongols or Ilkhanids *Hillenbrand, pp. 196-212

• Wednesday Nov 28: A Kingdom of Color – Timurid Architecture *Robinson, pp. 53-56 *Hillenbrand, pp. 213-225

• Friday Nov 30: Discussion – The Arts of the Book: Painting in Islam *Irwin, “The Illuminated Manuscript” pp. 181-191 *Orhan Pamuk, My Name is Red, “I am a Tree” pp. 56-61, “I am Red” pp. 224-27 “I am a Horse” pp. 262-66

Week 15 Islam in India before the Mughals: The Delhi Sultanate

• Monday Dec 3: Mausolea and Minars: the Delhi Sultanate *Robinson pp. 51-3 *Anthony Welch, Architectural Patronage and the Past: The Tughluq Sultans of India, 1993 (11pp)

• Wednesday Dec 5: Discussion - Islamic Art and Meaning *Aymn B. Sajoo, Beyond the Exotic: The Pleasures of ‘Islamic’ Art, 2001 (2 pp) *Oleg Grabar, “What makes Islamic Art Islamic?” on Archnet

• Friday Dec 4: Review for Final Exam

Week 16

• Monday Dec. 10: Final Exam

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